Maybe it's "our" fault the Blizzard Store exist ...

... if people hadn't enthusiastically bought those mounts and half a dozen pets, if people hadn't abuse RAF with wild abandon, if people don't buy 4 additional accounts just so they can "pwn" in BGs. But "we" did, convincing Blizzard that all that is financially very profitable.

The only way to shut down the store is to stop buying ... ya, good luck with that. LOL

Heck, feel Alliance/Horde isn't "winning" enough? Buy a "vote" for the next Alliance/Horde victory/defeat! Only $1 at the Blizzard Store. Why not? Blizzard has shown that everything is for sale, everything has a price. It's not like it "affects" gameplay.

Welcome to Capitalism I suppose. Ideals, integrity, "having a vision", screw all that. The "God" that is money is all that matters. In the words of the Lich King, "In the end, you will all serve me.".

Personally, I don't think it's that big of a deal. If people like those things, they don't mind buying them. No one forces anyone to buy anything from the Blizzard store.

3 hints to surviving MMO-C forums:
1.) If you have an opinion, someone will say that it is wrong
2.) If you have a source, there will be people who refuse to believe it
3.) If you use logic, it will be largely ignored
Btw: *Tanaan, *Farahlon, *Arakkoa. Not that hard.

It's definitely there players' faults that Blizzard is able to get away with milking its customers and being so greedy. I think it's insulting to have ANYTHING cost extra, even transfers, on a game with a subscription. But they'll continue to charge for that and every other thing they can come up with, while retaining the subscription, cause they know there's a ton of people who won't hesitate to throw money at them. So yes Blizzard is insultingly greedy, but it's because they can be, and they can be because the customers allow them to be.

A gaming company will try to maximize the bottom line as often as they can. The trick with Blizzard and WoW though is that they rely on a monthly subscription fee, so they are subject to the whim of their players. In the past they haven't been able to just open a player shop because their would've been crazy outcry from players, so they played the long con. They slowly dribbled in these tiny things to wear us down.

First it was pets, the mounts on the provision that "oh it doesn't effect gameplay, its just cosmetic!" and most players were ok with this. They even had some charity versions where half the profits went to charitable causes. Then Diablo 3 comes out with real life money transactions. Another chip away at the blizzard community.

It's a slippery slope when it comes to this, and we're only now picking up momentum. I wouldn't be surprised if you could buy catch up gear next expansion.

My weekly podcast can be downloaded here this week, the question is asked.. how do you deal with an asshole gardener???

It's definitely there players' faults that Blizzard is able to get away with milking its customers and being so greedy.

It is the player's "fault" that Blizzard makes money out of the store. Whether this actually qualifies Blizzard as "milking its customers" and "being so greedy" is debatable.

Originally Posted by Itisamuh

I think it's insulting to have ANYTHING cost extra, even transfers, on a game with a subscription.

Why? Try this analogy: Let's say you join a gym. You pay a monthly subscription to go. Does that entitle you to get unlimited free refreshments from their tuckshop?

Originally Posted by Itisamuh

But they'll continue to charge for that and every other thing they can come up with, while retaining the subscription, cause they know there's a ton of people who won't hesitate to throw money at them.

It also allows them to retain their profit margin, in spite of declining subscription numbers, without having to increase the monthly subscription costs for the rest of us, and without reducing the value we get out of the game.

Originally Posted by Itisamuh

So yes Blizzard is insultingly greedy, but it's because they can be, and they can be because the customers allow them to be.

Yes, that's one way to look it, but I read your comment as loaded with emotive language that destroys its credibility as an objective assessment of the situation.

Another way to look at it is that they are being innovative about the income stream, finding ways to generate the revenue they want from those players willing to pay more, without affecting the rest of us negatively.

When it gets to the stage that I am having to buy extra stuff on the store in order to keep playing this game at the level I always have been, then my tune may change, but until then I see this as nothing more than a storm in a teacup.

... if people hadn't enthusiastically bought those mounts and half a dozen pets, if people hadn't abuse RAF with wild abandon, if people don't buy 4 additional accounts just so they can "pwn" in BGs. But "we" did, convincing Blizzard that all that is financially very profitable.

The only way to shut down the store is to stop buying ... ya, good luck with that. LOL

Heck, feel Alliance/Horde isn't "winning" enough? Buy a "vote" for the next Alliance/Horde victory/defeat! Only $1 at the Blizzard Store. Why not? Blizzard has shown that everything is for sale, everything has a price. It's not like it "affects" gameplay.

Welcome to Capitalism I suppose. Ideals, integrity, "having a vision", screw all that. The "God" that is money is all that matters. In the words of the Lich King, "In the end, you will all serve me.".

Are you seriously this dumb? I'm sorry, I rarely levy a direct insult at people here or anywhere else, but this forum topic is not only redundant (thanks for wasting forum space with even more worthless clutter), its completely stupid.

Blizzard is a COMPANY. Companies want to make money. Anyone who thinks that is immoral or evil or whatever is clueless. If it offends you that deeply, cancel your sub and go back to your fantasy world where companies don't need money to succeed.

Think about what we get for our £8.99 a month compared to back in Classic. I might be missing a few things off both lists, it isn't intentional, but the amount of stuff to do in this game has grown, and their subscription fee hasn't. You think the development and maintenance of all these things is cheap?

Heck, feel Alliance/Horde isn't "winning" enough? Buy a "vote" for the next Alliance/Horde victory/defeat! Only $1 at the Blizzard Store. Why not? Blizzard has shown that everything is for sale, everything has a price. It's not like it "affects" gameplay.

That being said, I myself have bought the pets from store. But as long as they don't add stuff that will give you an edge in-game. I'm fine with whatever.

Welcome to Capitalism I suppose. Ideals, integrity, "having a vision", screw all that. The "God" that is money is all that matters. In the words of the Lich King, "In the end, you will all serve me.".

Because you can't extra free stuff, capitalism is a big, evil demon? Got it. Let me know how it goes when you picket the car dealership for not giving you all the frills for no extra charge on your base model.

Originally Posted by Itisamuh

So yes Blizzard is insultingly greedy, but it's because they can be, and they can be because the customers allow them to be.

Then by your logic, all business are "greedy" because, by definition, the purpose of all businesses is to - *gasp - make money. If they had advertised that all of the game's features, both in-game and out-of-game, were included in the subscription price, then you might have a case. But they didn't. And you don't. Bitching about having to pay for (irrelevant) "extras" is absurd.